I use the
Pensieve. One simply siphons the excess thoughts from one's mind, pours
them into the basin, and examines them at one's leisure. It becomes
easier to spot patterns and links, you understand, when they are in this
form. -Albus Dumbledore
In order to examine something properly without bias, you need an outside perspective not littered with previous opinions and memories that ultimately render the objective examination into a subjective musing. Sometimes, we need to completely remove ourselves from a previous life and submerge ourselves in another in order to understand why we make certain decisions and hold certain beliefs. This summer and fall, I will be embarking on two very different and hopefully transformative experiences: an internship at my church camp in Newton, IA and a semester of study abroad in Santiago, Chile. Removing myself from academia, immersing myself in a spiritual journey, removing myself from my known and comfortable culture, immersing myself in the Spanish language and Chilean culture. There's no way to predict who I'll be on December 7th when I return from abroad; it will be difficult to remember all the experiences I've encountered in the midst of reverse culture shock. So, this blog will serve as a journal documenting my next several months, and hopefully it will have pieces of analysis and deeper understanding about how my past experiences have shaped my present. As Dumbledore rightly said, it's "easier to spot patterns and links" when you look at yourself from the outside.